The Shifting Sands
by Surrendered to Christ
Summary: In the distant future, a young man named Bakura lives with his cousin, Ryou. They find and take in a small child: one with tricolored hair and crimson eyes. And soon, they find themselves thrown back through time to when the Puzzle was solved...
1. Unbreakable Promises

Ok, I made some changes to this chapter, then tried to replace the old one...only to upload the wrong file! I'm sorry! Thanks to hermioneandterras-twin16 for pointing that out. This is the real chapter one.

Please enjoy!

I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh!

* * *

It is the year 2305. Advances in every area known to man has bloomed and flourished over the past fifty years. World wide peace, once only a dream, is now reality. The world has become one: races have united, and the saying "all man are equal" has never been truer. Hunger no longer has a grip on any area of the globe. Every citizen is provided for. Every person, young or old, male or female, receives the same amount of care

The government is now founded upon the saying, "From each according to his abilities, to each according to his needs"

The basic laws are simple and to the point. When a person enters the age of twenty, he is an official adult. Adults must work a given number of hours, depending on what job he has. In return for his service, the government pays him the standard salary. The amount given to each and every worker is the same.

Any citizen under the age of twenty will be provided for by the government. They will have a home to live in and a guardian to watch over them.

Marriage must be applied for, and approved by the government.

An adult may live with two minors at most.

A person can only be a biological parent to two children. Applications must be filed before a couple can reproduce, and a child who is born must be registered with the government.

These, then, are some of the most basic laws of this world. There has been no protest against the government for years and years. The world is happy. The people are content.

In the mist of all this peace and happiness, our story begins.

Upon one dark night, when the auto-weather control system has covered the moon with clouds, the silence is split by a young child's cries.

"Oniichan?" the child crouched in the dark, shaking the limp body on the bed. "'niichan, wake up." The boy begged, sounding close to tears. "Wake up, please!"

But he got no response. The child gave up, and, crying, he snuggled close to the elder's cold body. Exhausted, he curled up under the older boy's arm and fell asleep.

Twenty-year-old Bakura Tokashi strolled down the street, eager to get home to his younger cousin. Ryou had been living with him for months now, and they had become quite close. The younger boy had become the light that lit up Bakura's home, and his presence was greatly welcome by the older teen, who had lived alone for years. Although modern technology made it very safe for even young children to stay home alone, nothing could replace the company of another human.

Bakura hurried on his way. He was the only person in sight, which was not surprising seeing as how it was past midnight. He had a habit of taking long strolls, to spend sometime alone with nature. Besides, anyone who was out would be driving a Crusier. Bakura thought those things were…well…they were convenient, it was true, but they made it impossible to even see the scenery passing by. No wonder more and more people were talking about cutting down what trees there were left.

Sighing, Bakura pushed these thoughts out of his head.

The next instant, he paused. He could've sworn he heard something. Although robbers and muggers and the type had become almost a myth, a thing of the distant past, there was still reason to be cautious. Embedded in the human is an instinct as old as mankind: to be cautious and suspicious of things one can hear but cannot see.

The noise became louder, and Bakura could identify human footsteps. He frowned. What was…whoever it was…doing out at this time of night? He knew not of another who enjoyed a late-night walk as he did.

He wasn't given much time to think the situation over. Presently, a figure emerged from a side-street and into sight.

Bakura relaxed. It was a child, for sure. The figure was very small and thin, no threat to the young man who watched it.

The child paused, and looked around. The light from a nearby street lamp was too dim for Bakura to clearly see his features. The man hesitated, wondering if he should ask the child was it was doing out alone so late. Surely the parents were worried. Speaking of which…why hadn't the security alarm attached to every child alerted the guardians of this one that the kid had left the house?

The child made up Bakura's mind for him. The man had been spotted, and the child approached slowly. Now the white-haired man could see that the kid was a boy, presumably around four or five. He frowned upon seeing what shape the little boy was in. Under this government, no one went hungry. That was what he had always believed. The leader of his land prided himself on his superb care for every living being. And yet, here was a boy, clearly in need of food and water.

The child paused about eight feet away, shyly peeking at the man from under his bangs. Bakura raised an eyebrow when he realized that the boy had muti-colored hair: mostly black, speckled with red at the tips, and blonde in the front. It was messy and unkept, but as impressive as Bakura's own long, platinum white locks.

"Hello there." Bakura said softly. "Are you lost?"

The child shook his head no. "I need help." He whispered after a moment's pause.

Bakura frowned. "What do you mean?"

The kid came slowly up to him, and stretched out a hand.

Bakura took it, curious as to what the little one had in mind.

To his surprise, the boy pulled him forward. Bakura followed willingly, sensing the urgency. He was led through a dark, narrow street, and soon entered a network of alleys. He had no idea how the child could know where he was going. His own sense of direction was soon thrown into chaos and he was completely lost.

Quite suddenly, they stopped. Bakura could just make out the outline of a small, old-fashioned home. The front door was open, and the child led him in.

Immediately, he could sense something was wrong. There was a strange stench in the air, and a feeling that made his hair stand on end. He didn't want to be here. He wanted to leave right away.

But the kid didn't let him go. Instead, he dragged Bakura down the hall and into a small room. The closer the got to their destination, the more Bakura wanted to go back.

And then they stopped again, and Bakura felt his hand released. He heard soft footsteps, and then the room was lit up by a dim light. Bakura looked over, and saw the child coming back towards him, an old flashlight in his hand. The thing was old, and very outdated. It was solar powered, batteries powered ones no longer existed. This particular type of flashlight was no longer made, it was so old.

The boy handed the flashlight to him, and he accepted. The boy then beckoned, and Bakura followed him even deeper into the house.

And for a third time, they stopped. This time, it was in what Bakura thought to be a bedroom. There was a bed in the corner, and a couch parked against the wall.

By this time, Bakura was fighting hard against the urge to run.

But the child showed no signs of leaving. Instead, he went over to the bed, where blankets were piled up. Climbing onto the mattress, the kid motioned for Bakura to come closer. The young man complied.

Looking down, he saw that the blankets covered the body of a boy who couldn't be older than fifteen.

"He won't wake up." The child spoke suddenly. "I tried and tried but he wouldn't wake up." The boy looked up at Bakura with hopeful eyes. The man swallowed: the boy's eyes were an eerie crimson. "Can you wake him?"

With a shaking hand, Bakura reached forward, and touched the still teen's face. He instantly drew his hand back. The body was ice-cold.

Bakura had never seen a dead body, let alone felt one. He had never seen someone die. But there was no doubt in his mind that the boy was dead.

The child was watching his every move. "He's been like this for days-" _That explains the smell._ Bakura thought. "-he just won't wake up."

"Is he your bother?" Bakura asked softly, a bit afraid to be in the presence of a dead body.

"Uh-huh." The child nodded.

"Where're your parents?" the man asked.

"Parents?" the boy cocked his head, apparently confused.

"Your mother and father?"

The child shook his head. "'niichan saids we ain't got none."

Bakura swallowed.

"Can you wake him?"

"I-" Bakura lowered his head. "He's not going to wake up." He said as gently as he could.

The child stared at him. "What do you mean?"

"He…he's dead."

The boy blinked, processing this new bit of information. Slowly, he said, "'niichan said Mama and Daddy were dead, and that's why they never came back." He titled his head looking thoughtful. In a tiny voice, and asked, "Does this mean 'niichan's not gonna ever wake again?"

"I'm afraid so." Bakura murmured.

At this, the child started to cry.

Startled, Bakura jumped. "Oh, now, don't cry!" he said desperately. "Don't cry, please! Come on, calm down!"

But the little boy didn't stop. He whimpered and wailed and buried himself next to his brother.

Sighing, Bakura did the only thing he could. He went over and scooped the child into his arms, rocking him gently until the wails became occasional sniffs.

"Don't worry. I'm going to take care of you." This promise he whispered, against his better judgment. Promises were laws. If an important promise is broken, a person might spend the rest of his life in jail. He was a barely a man, just moving out of the teenage years. He had no experience at childcare. Certainly he would not need to worry about money: the government would provide. But children needed much more than food and shelter. They needed love, and commitment. He already had Ryou to worry about. How was he ever going to raise a kid?

But then again, what else could he do? Leave the child here to fend for himself?

And so, Bakura found himself the guardian of a young child. A boy who was left alone in the world, and who had little knowledge of the new technology, or anything outside of the little house in the middle of the alleys.

_What have I gotten myself into?_ Bakura thought in despair.

Looking down, he found the child had drifted off to sleep, a tiny fist clenching a fistful of his shirt.

The little boy's cheeks were still stained with tears, and Bakura brushed away the last drop. He couldn't help but smile when the boy shifted and pressed his face into the chest of the young man holding him.

_It'll be alright. _He assured himself. _It'll be ok._

Slowly, taking care not to wake the boy, Bakura found his way out of the house. The old flashlight flickered in his hand, and he hoped it would hold out long enough for him to find his way back to the main street. Reaching into his pocket with his free hand, he found his Personal Terminal, commonly known as a PET. Tuning it on, his whispered a command, "Provide a map from here to my home."

Instantly, a detailed, yet very clear map popped up on the screen, accompanied by written instructions.

Shifting the boy in his arms to gain a more secure hold, Bakura started to leave. But at the door, he paused. Wit h a light sigh, he went back to the bedroom, and drew the top blanket over the young teen's head.

Leaving the house, he stepped through the front door and shut it securely. Before the door closed completely, a breeze blew through.

For the rest of his life, he never doubted that he heard a voice in that small breeze. It was the voice of the boy, soft and barely a whisper, but yet, strong and true.

_"Thank you."_


	2. Into the Abyss

I'm finallyback. Thought I'd tackle this fic first.

Thischapter contains OCCness and slight crossovers. You've been warned...

That being said, hope you enjoy!

I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh!

* * *

"Where have you been? I've been worried sick!" Ryou sprang up from the couch the moment Bakura entered.

"Shh," the elder murmured, manually closing the automatically-locking door, keeping his back to Ryou. "I'm sorry, Ryou-chan. Something came up."

Ryou raised his eyebrows. "'Ryou-chan,' huh? Alright, what do you need this time?"

"Need?" Bakura asked innocently, not turning around. He wasn't sure how his younger cousin would take to the child in his arms. "What makes you think I need something?

"The fact that you added –chan to my name." Ryou rolled his eyes. "Turn around, 'Kura. Now."

Sighing, Bakura meekly obeyed.

Ryou looked taken back at the sight in front of him. "A kid? Goodness, what a mess he's in…" the teen came forward, and took the child into his own arms. "Oh, cutie!" Bakura blinked, thinking that all his worries were for naught. Ryou was taking this quite well. "Poor little one, he's starving. I'll put him in my bed. I'll get Rock to look him over…" With that, Ryou left, cradling the little boy in his arms.

Bakura rolled his eyes at how quickly his cousin had gotten used to the situation. "And here I was, worrying about his not wanting an extra person to care for." He muttered. "I forgot what a softie he is."

"Where did you find him?" Ryou asked his cousin later, when they were alone in the kitchen, Bakura warming up with a cup of coffee. Rock, their resident robot, had declared the boy would be ok, that he was just nutrition-deprived and dehydrated. Food, water, rest, and good care were what he prescribed.

And so Bakura explained. By the end of his story, Ryou was almost crying. Oh wait, he _was_ crying.

"Please, little cousin, don't." Bakura sighed. "I've had enough of people crying for the day."

Ryou sniffed, and wiped his eyes. "But…I just feel so sorry for him. Nobody should have to suffer like that, with all the technology and surpluses we have today."

"I know."

"So, can we keep him?" Ryou asked, hope shining in his eyes.

The older one laughed. "And here I was worrying you would say no! Yes, Ryou, we most certainly can."

With those words, a new chapter in their lives began.

The early morning silence was broken by a call sounding down the stairs. "Rock, could you find some clothes for the child? The ones he has are way too dirty. Not to mention small."

"Of course, Master," the robot nodded. "I'll do it right away."

Ryou sighed, stepping off the last steps and coming into view. "I wish you would quit calling me 'master.'"

The child-like robot grinned sheepishly. "Ah, yes, Mas - Ryou-sama, but I just keep forgetting…once something is programmed in, it's hard to get out."

"I thought you were supposed to be equipped with a self-learning program," Bakura remarked, coming in the room. "Or have those scientists been lying to us?"

"I _am_, Master, but still…pre-programmed data is hard to shake off. It can be done, certainly, but…" the robot ran a hand through its messy brown hair.

"Stop calling me 'master,' Rock. I don't like it any more than Ryou."

"Right, Bakura-sama."

The man threw up his hands. "Can't we just stick with 'Bakura'?"

Rock winced. "That might be going a little too far…"

"Oh forget it. Off with you!" Bakura waved a hand towards the door, his eyes sparkling mischievously.

Rock laughed, having been with his Master long enough to know that the man was teasing. Bowing, he left the room.

Rock, also known as DC47823, was a standard robot. Everyone who worked had one: they were provided by the government. One per household. That was the law. No two robots were exactly alike. Their personalities were all slightly unique, and developed according to the personalities and needs of their masters. Rock looked exactly like a human child, around the age of twelve. His (Bakura and Ryou had long ago ceased to call him an 'it') eyes were a startling shade of green, pure and clear. His hair was a messy brown, and never grew or fell. His 'skin', which felt exactly like human skin, was lightly tanned. The robot creators took great pains to ensure their creations were as human-like as possible, but they never tried to cross that fine line between natural and manmade. Rock could feel only simple emotions, and never as strongly as a human could. He never needed to eat, only to 'sleep' and recharge for at least seven hours a day. He was very useful around the household, able to do everything from grocery shopping to performing a simple diagnosis. Bakura didn't know what he would do without the robot, who was, to him, as much a friend as he was a servant.

"Master…I mean, Bakura-sama, the child is awake, and crying. He seems quite upset." Rock poked his head into the kitchen three hours after breakfast. "What shall I do?"

"Nothing. I'll take care of it." Bakura rose. "Tell Ryou, will you?"

Rock nodded, and Bakura left.

Upon his entering the room where the child had been placed the previous night, Bakura was immediately tackled into a hug. Looking down, he saw the little one hugging his legs for all he was worth.

Bakura chuckled, and lifted the boy up. "Hello there. Sleep well?"

The boy nodded. "I was scared you left me," he confessed, rubbing tears out of his eyes.

"Silly. I told you I'd take care of you. I don't break promises. No one does."

The child smiled, reassured. "I dreamed about 'niichan last night."

Bakura paused. "Oh?"

"Uh-huh. I miss 'im," the boy sniffed, eyes tearing up again. "I want him back…"

The man sighed, a was, for a moment, at a loss for words. After a moment, he managed to murmur, "I know it's hard, but I'm here to help, ok? Anytime you need me…"

The child smiled again, and pressed his head into Bakura's shoulder, making to elder chuckle awkwardly.

"Come, then. Let's get you something to eat."

Bakura carried the child into the kitchen, where Ryou was waiting. Rock was setting out an early lunch.

"Hello there, little one," Ryou grinned, coming up to them. The child drew back slightly, gazing at Ryou with a mixture of weariness and curiosity.

"Nothing to worry about. That's Ryou, my younger cousin. And that's Rock over there. They live here too, and they're your friends, ok?" There was a slight pause, before he added. "By the way, my name's Bakura."

The boy grinned, eyes bright and accepting, and nodded.

"What's your name, little one?" Ryou asked, cocking his head.

"Yamakili," the boy replied softly. "But 'niichan always called me Yami. I like that better."

"Yami, then." Bakura sat the child down on a high chair Rock had gotten over the Net that morning. "Eat, kid. Let's get used to each other, because, if all goes well, we'll be living together for a long time."

Over the next weeks, little Yami became a familiar presence inside the house. The government had approved of his living under Bakura's care, and had sent extra money when they heard about the circumstances under which the child was found.

Yami gradually adapted to the house and its occupants. Though he still woke up crying at night, and still called out in his dreams for his older brother, these occurrences lessened as time went by.

"Come, Master Yami." Rock sighed one afternoon, three months after the child's arrival. "Please, we need to get you ready before Master Bakura gets home from work."

"But I don't wanna take a bath!" the boy whined, hiding behind the couch.

"Come on. You know you'll have to do it sooner or later."

"Don't wanna!"

"I'll give you a cookie if you take a bath now," the robot prompted.

The boy paused, thinking the deal over, and, at length, nodded, coming out of his hiding place.

Rock smiled, and picked the boy up.

"I really do not understand why you don't like water," the robot remarked as he made his way towards the bathroom with the child secure in his arms. "Neither Master Bakura or Master Ryou have a problem with it."

"I dunno. I just don't like it." Yami shrugged. "But I like cookies," he added.

"Yes, I know," Rock laughed.

Thirty minutes later, little Yami was bathed, dressed, and munching a chocolate-chip cookie in the kitchen. Rock sat nearby, keeping an eye on him, as he had been instructed to do.

"Rock-kun, can I have another one?" the child asked hopefully, once the first one was gone.

"No. It'll ruin you appetite."

"Please?" the request was accompanied by a slight pout and wide, shining eyes.

"No," Rock laughed. "That look might work on Master Bakura and Master Ryou, but not me, little one."

"Awww…"

A bell sounded through the house, announcing that someone was home. Sure enough, a moment later, Ryou walked in.

"Oniichan!" Yami squealed, bounding over to the teen. "You're back!"

"Yep!" Ryou lifted the boy up. "Had a good day?"

"Yeah! Hey, did'ya know that we live in the Post-War Era? I learned that today!"

"Oh really? You're getting smart." Ryou grinned, setting the boy down to free his hands and take off his jacket. It was the latest style: to wear a lightwindbreaker outdoors. It wasn't exactly necessary, as all the clothes adjusted to the weather so that their wearers were always comfortable.

"When's Otou-san comin' back?" Yami asked, following the teen around like a loyal, lovesickpuppy.

"When he always come back. But guess what? He has tomorrow off, and then it's the weekend, so we're going to go camping!"

"Camping?" the child blinked. "What's that?"

"Staying outdoors, basically. Bakura said that we need to enjoy nature when it's still there."

"Will there be bears?" Yami bounced up and down. "I know about bears! They're big and huge and can bite your head off-"

"Master Yami, Master Ryou is never going to get anything done if you keep doing that!" Rock scolded lightly, laughing at the same time, as he picked the boy up from where he had been busy getting in Ryou's way. "Mast- Ryou-sama, would you like me to take your things up to your room?"

"Will you? That'd be great, thanks, Rock." The robot nodded, setting Yami back down on the floor, and took Ryou's bag and coat upstairs.

The child tugged on Ryou's pants, begging to be picked up. His request was granted.

"Will there be bears?" the child sprang back on subject. "And wolves?"

"No, no, they left this forest long ago. If you like, we can visit a real zoo someday." Ryou ruffled the boy's hair. "It'll be more fun to really see them live rather than looking at them through the Net.

"Can I have a cat? Lots of people useta have cats. I wanna kitty."

"Hmmm. Maybe. I heard that pets were becoming popular again. We'll ask Bakura."

"Or a dog? I'd like a dog…"

Ryou shook his head, amused and exasperated. "All right, Yami-chan. Off with you. Go play a Net game or something until Bakura gets back."

"OK." Yami agreed, and all but skipped off.

"Did you give him sugar?" Ryou asked when Rock came back.

"Only a cookie…" the robot looked uncertain. "Was that bad? He refused to come out for his bath."

"Sugar makes him weird." Ryou chuckled. "Isn't that an interesting word? My friend Joey said it was common back in the Age of the Wars."

"It is. It's recorded in the Encyclopedia of the Ages. Will Master Joey be joining you tomorrow?"

"He will, yes, him and Marik and Malik. You could come too, you know."

"No, I'll stay here. You go enjoy yourselves," Rock replied. "Master Bakura is back." He added as the bell sounded.

"Otou-san!" Yami's shout echoed through the house. There was a loud grunt and a thud from the doorway. Ryou and Rock entered a moment later to see Bakura flat on the ground with Yami on top of him, giggling hyperly.

"Yami-chan, did you have sugar?" the man groaned.

"Sugar's good!"

"And there'll be no more for you if you keep acting like this. Did you turn off the Net Connector?" Rock lifted the child up and off of his Master. "Don't leave it on. No wasting energy. Nothing should be wasted."

"Yes, Rock-kun," Yami sighed, and turned to follow orders.

"Wow. How much did you give him?" Bakura asked, picking himself up off the ground.

"Just a cookie. Sorry about that, Master."

"It's Bakura. My name is Bakura."

"Right. Sorry, Bakura-sama."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Birds, birds, birds." Yami sang happily, holding Bakura's hand, as they hiked up the mountain. It was located in one of the last Protected Areas left in the world. Even by Cruiser, it took them nearly four hours to reach it. Of course, they could have taken the Teleporter and gotten there is one second, but Bakura insisted they should enjoy the scenery around them.

"And trees! Trees, trees, trees!"

"Definitely. I've never seen so many trees in one place," Marik, a bleach-blonde teen in Ryou's class, commented.

"Are we there yet?" a blonde 18-year-old named Joey whined.

"For the last time, NO!" Bakura snapped. "I'll let you know when we are!"

"Bugs, bugs, bugs…"Yami giggled, hyped by all the new things around him that he'd only see on the Net. ""tou-san! Look! Butterfly! Butter-fly. Fly, fly, butterfly…" the boy laughed.

"Is he always like this?" Marik asked Ryou.

"No. He can be pretty quiet, actually…hard to believe…"

"Are we there yet?"

"NO!" Bakura roared, snapping. "And if you ask that one more time, I'm kicking you off a cliff!"

"Won't that kill him?" Yami inquired, eyes wide.

"Hopefully," the man grumbled.

"Bakura!" Ryou scowled.

Malik chuckled, shaking his head. "Fools," he muttered. Malik was a 23-year-old colleague of Bakura's. They could plausibly be considered friends. Sometimes, anyway.

"What?" the white-haired man asked blandly in response to his couson's sharp comment.

"Watch what you're saying arou-"

He never got to finish.

Because that was the moment Yami chose to let go of Bakura's hand and go bouncing towards the forest, yelling, "Hey, hey! Come here, I see something!"

"Yami!" Bakura yelled. His head was starting to hurt. "Come back here! Don't make me chase you!"

"But come look! What's this?" the child called back. He was now completely hidden by the trees.

"Oh, _Yami!_" Ryou sighed in exasperation. "There'll be no sugar for you for years to come," the teen muttered as he jogged towards the excited, sugar-highlittle boy.

"Ryou 'nii-chan! Come see!" Yami begged. Ryou rolled his eyes. "Alright, what is it?" he asked as the forest swallowed him, shielding him from the others' view.

There was a moment of silence, when the whole group started at the place where the two had disappeared.

"Bakura!" Ryou suddenly spoke up in a hushed voice, sounding as excited as Yami did. "Come look!"

"Oh, no, not you too!" the man all but whined. "Can't we just go?" but even as his mouth said this, his legs started to carry him forward. Curiosity overtaking them, the others followed.

Ryou was holding Yami close. There were both staring at something on the ground.

Bakura went over and kneeled down next to them.

His eyes widened, and he uttered a soft gasp.

There, on the ground, was a black hole. Not a hole _in _the ground; it wasn't the kind that made you fall down. It wasn't a _pit._ No, it was a swirl of black and deep indigo that created a place where nothing existed, much like a black hole one would find in space. It was pure and utter _nothingness._

And it was tugging them in.

"What the-" Joey muttered. "What the heck is that?"

"It's calling me into it," Marik whispered, transfixed. "That thing's _calling_ me! It'spulling at me, like it wants me to goin!"

"What should we do?" Ryou asked, his eyes full of wonder.

"Go back," Bakura hissed. All his senses were telling at him to run. "Let's go and forget we were ever here."

"No, let's go in!" Yami piped up. His eyes were dancing with uncontrollable enthusiasm. "Let's go and see what it does!"

"Are you crazy! Hell no!" Bakura yelped, standing up abruptly.

Joey, who had been looking over the man's shoulder, yelped as Bakura hit him. He stumbled sideways a few steps, and then tripped over a root in the ground….

…falling straight into the black abyss.

"Joey!" Ryou roared, springing up and grabbing his friend back the back of the shirt, hurling him backwards and sending the blonde sprawling onto the grass. Unfortunately, he forgot about Yami, whom he had been holding. The child let out a cry of surprise as the hold on him loosened and he tumbled downwards. Instinctively, he reached out to grab Ryou's arm. But his hands close on thin air as both gravity and the force of the hole – which had increased upon sensing a possible victim – pulled him downward.

Too late, Ryou realized his mistake and turned back in time to see the child swallowed by the vortex.

In an instant, the force of the void had amplified, eagerly sucking the others into it. Ryou, who was the closest, was immediately dragged through. Malik cursed and tried to turned back, but black tentacles shot from the hole, grabbing each of them around the waist and yanking them through.

When the last of them had disappeared, the vortex quieted, shrinking steadily until at last, it vanished.

There was not a trace of it left in the forest. The only sign that suggested it had ever been there was a bare spot among the grass where it had once lay. No life ever grew there again.

* * *

Wherethey will end up, nobody knows!

Except me.

The robot, Rock, was browwed from Mega Man, whichI do not own.

Please review and tell me what you think!


	3. Duplicates

At long last, the completed chapter. I hope it disappoints no one. Enjoy!

I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh!

* * *

Ryou groaned as he felt scattered raindrops hit his face. He head was on _fire._ It felt like something had tried to rip his mind apart and shred it, and had barely failed. Spots of colors danced behind his tightly closed eyelids, only helping to add to his growing dizziness. Right now, all he could comprehend was the ache in his skull. Though the questions _why_ he was here and _how_ he got here danced briefly through his brain once or twice. 

Gradually, the throbbing in his head softened enough for him to attempt to force his eyes open. Slowly, his eyelids peeled apart, and he became aware of a dim light. Soft as the light was, it was torture to his aching head, and he snapped his eyes closed again, breathing hard. Only when a few minutes had past did he dare to crack his eyelids open once more. This time, the light did not assault him nearly so much, and he was eventually able to open his eyes fully. A few moments after that, the blurry images cleared up to form an interesting scene.

He must have been transported to a different country, because he was very, very sure he had _never_ been here before. Heck, he was positive that places like these didn't even _exist_ any longer! The first thing tipped him off to the fact that he was a very long way from home was when he noticed he was lying on what looked like a wooden bench. A WOODEN bench! He had never seen a real wooden bench before in his eighteen years of life! Nothing was made out of trees anymore! They had run out of trees to make things with ages ago!

He sat up, rubbing his head, wondering if the bench really _was_ made out of wood. But he'd felt wood before. His class had gone on a field trip to the National History Museum when he was ten, and he'd been given the chance to feel a worked pieced of wood. And it'd felt exactly like this.

The next thing he noticed was the grass all around. Ok, so grass wasn't all that uncommon. But there was so much of it in one place! Was he in some sort of Protected Area?

And what in the world was _that! _That giant, brightly colored monstrosity standing in the middle of the grassy field, surrounded by a circle of wood chips and shavings. It looked like…like…well, he wasn't sure _what_ it was like!

Wait...Ryou closed his eyes, wrecking his brain for a hidden memory he somehow knew he possessed. _Where_ had he seen…?

Suddenly, his chocolate brown eyes sprang open again. That's IT! He'd seen it in an old textbook, where they'd been describing the lives of children during the Age of the Wars. This was a _playground!_ There were the swings, the slide, and the monkey bars. He beamed, feeling proud that he'd been able to remember something learned so long ago.

But the pride vanished in a flash as his mind caught up to him. If there was a playground right here, then something very strange was definitely going on. He looked around again, panic starting to creep up and fill him. Were those _gasoline cars_ on the road! Those kids…their clothes were soaked to their skin! And…was that man walking _five_ _dogs _on _fabric leashes!_

Ryou chocked. He felt like he was going to faint.

_It can't be,_ his mind babbled. _It can't! Many things our machines can do…but nothing can turn back Time!_

But there was no arguing with the facts, and reality was hitting home. Hard.

If his suspicious were true – and they became more undeniable by the second – then he, Ryou Tokashi, had somehow been sent back _three hundred years_ to the Age of the Wars.

Bakura sat with his back to a wall, rubbing his temples. He'd woken up about ten minutes ago, with his head screaming in pain, thus sending his nervous system into emergency overdrive. Thankfully, the throbbing ache had all but subsided, leaving a very confused man in its wake.

He wasn't sure _what_ to make of his situation. All he knew was that he was in an alley of some sort. It was a very _dirty_ alley. He'd have to make a complaint to the government. After all, they _did_ promise the citizens trash-free streets everywhere.

But that was not his immediate concern. The fact that he had no idea _where_ he was was much more alarming. Looking around, he could not see any other signs of life. Panic seized him. The last thing he remembered was being sucked into that black vortex. That must mean the others were here, too, right?

But where were they? Where were Ryou, Yami, Joey, Marik, Malik...?

And how the hell were they supposed to get back home?

In classroom 1-B of Domino High School, the teacher droned on in a seemingly endless speech about something called the Gaia Hypothesis, and how it was _very_ important to the people of that day and age, and how they should _all_ look into it for it was very intriguing and informative about how people of their time thought…

In other words, it was another boring old day.

The drowsing heat outside combined with the monotonous tone at which the teaching was lecturing was enough to put any sane person to sleep – as it unsurprisingly had for the past hour and fifty-five minutes. However, the internal alarm clock all students seemed to be armed with had finally snapped their minds back to consciousness. Every single student in the class was staring desperately at the clock hanging on the wall, as if trying to combine their will powers to force the minute hand to move forward three spaces, thus freeing them from this prison.

Oh wait…I'm sorry. Every student except _one,_ that is.

The above mentioned student had snowy white hair. Even in the midday heat of the summer day, his school jacket was buttoned all the way up. The boy looked to be around sixteen, and was scribbling madly on the piece of notebook paper in front of him, determinedly absorbing everything the teacher said. Even with the speed he was writing at, his handwriting was neat, and his fingers made his pen dance across the page, filling line after line. Four other pieces of notebook paper sat momentarily abandoned at the corner of his desk, each already stuffed from top to bottom with notes.

Two minutes to go, and the teacher gave no signs of stopping. She did not notice – or perhaps just chose to ignore – that practically every one of her students was already halfway out of their seats. Only the white-haired boy remained in rapt attention.

One minute…thirty seconds…twenty…ten…eight…four…

_BRRRRRRRRRRRRIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGG!_

Whoops out joy erupted as the entire class sprang up as one, the numerous individuals tripping over each other in their mad race for the door.

"Alright class! I expect that essay in next Friday!" the teacher called after her charges' quickly retreating backs. Merely seconds later, she faced a nearly empty classroom. The only other living being in the room, aside from the "class pet" mouse, which was, at the moment, nibbling on crumbs left over from the students' hidden snacking during class, was the teen who had been so vigorously taking notes barely a minute before. The snowy-haired teen finished packing up, before standing and heading for the door. He gave the teacher a smile, and said a "Thank you, Sensei," before following his long gone classmates out the door. He emerged from the school building a full twenty minutes later, having made trips to his locker and to various teachers for some after-class advice, with his backpack full of homework waiting to be done over the weekend.

The moment he emerged from what the pupils of Domino High liked to call the "Dreary Gray Prison" (namely, the school building itself), and into the sunlight outside, he was greeted by an enthusiastic, "Hey, Ryou! It took you long enough!"

The white-haired teen raised his eyes, which were a soft chocolate brown, to see a group of students heading his way.

"Man, that last class was _boring._ She rambled on for fifty straight minutes and I did not get a word!" That remark came from a tall blonde teen by the name of Joey Wheeler. He had been in the same class as Ryou last period.

"Oh, you mean Philosophy? I had that earlier. I didn't get it, either," the short, tri-color haired boy named Yugi Motou sighed, shaking his head dispiritedly.

"Me neither," the rest of the group chorused in near perfect unison.

"I got it," Ryou said, raising an eyebrow in surprise. He was used to Joey and Tristan not getting the lesson – their idea of 'paying attention' usually involved rubber band fights and loud, interruptive commentary. Marik probably wasn't much better, but Ryou wouldn't know. His only class with Marik was Literature, which was boring enough in itself. And since it was the first class of the day, Marik usually slept through the whole thing. But Yugi and Téa were relatively good students, and should have had no problem with the lecture. "Were you guys paying any attention at all?"

"I tried," Yugi muttered. "_Somehow_ I kept getting distracted," he added with a growl, glaring at a spot between Joey and Marik that seemingly no one occupied. At his words, a flash of light emitted from the golden upside down pyramid that hung from a chain around Yugi's neck, and suddenly, a lithe teen appeared at the exact spot Yugi had been glaring at.

Yami smirked, a bland expression on his face. "But _aibou_, YOU were the one who complained to me in the first place! Something about an evil, cranky, monotonous, wrinkled old cow that wasn't making any sense, pacing around half-naked in front of the class…"

Joey chocked, covering his mouth and doubling over as fits of laughter escaped him. Tristan stared for a moment, before joining the blonde. By this time, Marik had stuffed his arm into his mouth in an attempt to stifle the giggles escaping from his throat. All three boys were trying in vain to erase the disturbing-yet-hilarious mental picture that had formed in their heads. Téa, the lone girl of the group, could only shake her head at the 'immature boys.' Ryou gaped, wondering how his seemingly innocent friend could've thought up something like _that_. The teacher hadn't been half naked…ok, maybe she had worn a skimpy tank top and a practically non-existent skirt (in an obvious effort to appear "cool" and failing miserably), but seeing as how it was over ninety degrees outside, that was understandable….right! Yugi, blushing madly and scowling, chucked his book bag at his yami, who ducked.

"Hee hee…an old cow…" Joey chuckled, recovering. "Aw man, that just made up for the whole rotten day!"

"It's not that funny!" Yugi snapped defensively.

"Yes, it is. To hear it coming from _you…_" Marik sniggered, straightening himself up.

"Alright guys, lay off him." Ryou shook his head. "_My_ yami could've thought up worse than that. Much worse. Much, _much_ worse."

"Un-debatable," Yami replied nonchalantly. He must have been in a good mood, as the mention of Bakura did not even make him frown.

"Yeah, but your yami and Yugi aren't exactly alike," Tristan pointed out as they started to walk away from Domino High.

"No, I suppose not," Ryou admitted. "So, are we still meeting at the park in half an hour?"

"Yup. Get home, drop your stuff off, and meet at the old bench in front of the play structure. I'm glad the rain decided to clear up so quickly." Joey grinned at the clear-blue sky, looking every bit like the puppy Seto Kaiba had dubbed him.

"Well, guys, I'll see you when I come back from vacation in three months, alright? Have a nice summer vacation!" Téa smiled, waving as she walked off. Her family had taken her out of school for the last two weeks before break, as they were going to America for the summer.

"I best get going, too. I'm going to baby-sit my nephew this weekend," Tristan sighed. "Little brat. Wish I could come with you guys."

Joey smacked his friend on the back. "Don't let it get you down, man! See you next week!"

Fifteen minutes later, Ryou had arrived at his house, unlocked the door, and dumped his book bag in his room. His house was nearest the park, and he had time to spare. Sighing, his sat on the couch and opened his link with his yami.

/Bakura/

/What is it/ came the harsh and impatient reply.

Ryou winced. /I'll be at the park with the gang until dinner. /

/Hmm. At least you remembered to tell me this time. Good boy. Now get, and don't come home late or you'll regret it, believe me. /The former tomb-robber growled.

/Yes, yami. / Ryou muttered, before shutting the link and heading out the door, locking it with his keys. The bright world outside lifted his mood and he went strolling towards the appointed destination. Surely nothing too bad could happen on such a marvelous day as this.

Yugi was beaming as he walked towards the park to meet his friends. Yami had wandered off, saying he'd catch up with them later. The violet-eyed hikari was relishing in all the happiness in the air. He was all but skipping. The sun was out. The birds were chirping, and it was only two weeks until summer break. Life was _good!_

So absorbed was he in trying to take in all the pleasures from the world around him that his normally sharp sixth-sense didn't even notice the small figure watching him nearby.

He paused briefly to watch two children chase a puppy with a grin. He loved sights like that. They always gave him a warm, fuzzy feeling in his heart, followed with an unexplainable urge to immediately ditch all his dignity and go running and dancing and singing in a field of daisies. However, his fantasies were dashed away as unexpectedly, he felt something tug on his pants.

"Excuse me," the wind helped carry the soft, young, and somewhat hesitant voice up to his ears.

Yugi looked down, surprised. He blinked at the sight, his expression quickly turning into one of shock.

Standing at his feet was a little boy, looking to be around five. He was looking rather shyly up at the teen with wide, sparkling crimson eyes. The child's hair was messy; black, tipped with red and streaked here and there with gold. The clothes he wore were made of a strange type of material Yugi had never seen before, and his shoes bore the symbol of a company foreign to the teenager.

/_Yami! _/Yugi squeaked in his thoughts, not trusting his voice.

/Yes Yugi? What's wrong/ came the reply. Yugi frowned. Yami's mental voice sounded far away, and the spirit sounded like he always did…so this kid in front of him _wasn't_ his yami.

/N-nothing, Yami. It's alright. /

/If you say so…/ his dark trailed off. Yugi closed the link.

"What wrong?" Yugi asked the child who was still staring at him, speaking softly so as not to alarm the little boy.

"Have you seen Otou-san or niichan?" the boy asked worriedly, a hint of fear in his eyes his crimson eyes. "I looked and looked but I can't find them anywhere."

"You're lost? What do they look like?" the teen knelt down, placing a hand comfortingly on the child's head.

The little boy frowned, tilting his head, and his light-colored bangs flopped haphazardly over his large eyes, making him all the cuter in Yugi's opinion. "Well, they're both taller'n you, and they've got long white hair and brown eyes. Otou-san's taller than nii-chan, though," he added as an afterthought.

Yugi blinked. That sounded exactly like Ryou and Bakura…but that _couldn't_ be!

He shook his head, baffled. "Well, I haven't noticed them, but how about you come with me? My friends may have seen them." He straightened and offered a hand to the boy.

The child smiled happily; glad to have found a friendly face. He took Yugi's hand, and proceeded to follow Yugi in a half-trot, half-bounce. The teen giggled, seeing this, wondering if Yami had been like that when he had been little.

They arrived at the park shortly. The others were already there.

"Yugi, who's that?" Joey asked, spotting the boy clinging onto his friend's hand. The child looked up, and spotted Ryou among the group staring at him. His eyes lit up for a moment, and he started to move forward, but quickly stopped as a small frown appeared of his face. This wasn't the Ryou he was used to…this teen looked a lot like him, but it wasn't _his_ Ryou. He could tell. _His_ Ryou niichan had a different feel to him. But then who was this strange boy who looked so much like his niichan?

And those other looked like Joey-kun and Marik-kun. But they weren't, he could tell. They didn't _feel_ the same as the Joey and Marik he knew. And that unnerved him. Why were there so many look-alikes in this place? His little mind struggle to comprehend this strange situation.

Yugi could see the boy eyeing the group with confusion in his eyes. _So it wasn't Ryou,_ he thought. Out loud, he answered Joey's question. "He's lost. He's looking for his father and older brother – both has long white hair and brown eyes, about the same height, but one's taller. Seen them?"

"Well, seems like it fits Ryou's description. How many young people have white hair? But I didn't know you had a younger brother who looks freakily like the Pharaoh. Nor did I know Bakura has become a father." Marik raised an eyebrow at the white-haired teen.

"That's because I _don't._ And don't let Bakura catch you saying that." Ryou rolled his eyes.

The little boy jumped at the names, causing Yugi to look down at him. The child was obviously getting quite unnerved, although the teen didn't know why.

"Hey, what's wrong?" the hikari knelt down, giving the child a quick hug. "Don't be scared. We'll find your family-" Whatever else he might have said was lost forever in the land of oblivion, because he was suddenly cut off by a shout that sounded behind him.

"_Yami-chan!_"

The child's head jerked up, and he tore himself away form Yugi, darting away towards the voice as quickly as his short legs would allow, crying, "Niichan!" Yugi's body unwisely decided to not consult his brain before trying to stand up and turn around at the same time, almost causing the teen to fall straight over backwards. He heard his friends' gasps as he desperately tried to sort himself out, and finally managed to get a good look at the person the little boy had ran off to. And the resulting shock nearly sent him reeling again.

The little boy was sprinting towards a teenager with white hair who looked _exactly like Ryou!_

"Niichan!" the boy repeated delightedly as the teen scooped him up into a fierce hug. "You're here!"

"Damn, Ryou, I didn't know you had a twin!" Marik gasped hoarsely.

"That's because I _don't_, you moron!" Ryou hissed, staring at his look-alike in disbelief.

The 'other Ryou,' as Yugi had quickly dubbed him, looked up at the group with a grin on his face. However, the smile was quickly replaced by a startled frown as the child in his arms stretched up to whisper something in his ear.

The whole group was still staring as the white-haired teen walked forward, stopping in front of them.

There was a slight hesitation, before the boy said, "Thank you for finding my brother. I thought I'd lost him."

"It's no problem," Yugi murmured. The teen did look so _exactly_ like Ryou. _Exactly!_ The only thing different was that this stranger had a different aura, a different _feel_ to him.

"My name's Ryou, by the way," the stranger added.

"_What!"_ Marik squeaked.

"Something wrong?"

"Yes, there's something wrong! Are you blind! This white-haired kid here, this is my friend, and if you haven't noticed, you two look exactly alike! And _his name is Ryou, too!"_ Marik's voice had risen to a yell by the time he was done.

The two Ryou's stared at each other for a full ten seconds without blinking.

"Well…I'm Ryou _Tokashi_," the 'other Ryou' offered weakly.

"Ryou Bakura" the 'original Ryou' answered, his eyes still wide.

"Well, that's a slight difference, at least. And you two…are you Joey and Marik?" the Other Ryou asked.

"How did you know?" Yugi breathed.

"Because…well, because I have two friends that look exactly like them! And you…you're Yugi, aren't you? I had a Yugi in my year-three class five years ago, and he looked exactly like you, too!"

"Ok. This is bizarre," Joey groaned. "And who's the kid? Yami?"

"My name's Yamakali," the child responded. "But I like being called Yami better."

Marik let out a strangled moan. "That's just too strange! Weren't three pairs of duplicates enough?"

The speed at which everything was unfolding was enough to make the strongest man dizzy. Unfortunately, before anyone could reply, there was a brilliant flash of light beside Ryou, and an unwelcome figure appeared with a throaty growl. "WHO ARE YOU!" yelled the white-haired teen known as the sadistic, maniacal, and homicidal Spirit of the Millennium Ring. "What are you doing with my hikari!"

"Bakura!" the Other Ryou squeaked, jumping a foot in the air. Little Yami's eyes went wide. The spirit glared at them both. If looks could kill, they'd both have burst into flames on the spot.

"Why are you impersonating my hikari!" Bakura screamed, glowering at the teen, making the poor guy feel like he was shrinking a foot a second. "Who in HELL are you!"

"B-Bakura, I'm fine!" the white-haired hikari stammered, trying to calm his yami down. "Really, I am!"

"Don't lie to me, Ryou! I can feel your unease from miles away! You, boy, must have a DEATH WISH, because NO ONE upsets MY HIKARI and gets away with it!" the yami raged, advancing, forcing the other teen to back up nervously. Little Yami was whimpering and burrowing against his brother's neck.

Without warning, Bakura lunged and struck, driving his fist forward towards the Other Ryou's face.

Fortunately, his fist never made it.

In all the commotion, no one had noticed the person sprinting towards them from the buildings across the street from the park. The person had arrived right on time, and had planted himself right between the spirit and the Other Ryou, with the stunned Bakura's fist caught tightly in his.

"Bakura!" the New Ryou gasped, relief flooding his voice. "Thank goodness! Great timing! I was scared to death!"

The man scowled at his duplicate, who was staring back with a mixture of shock and hatred. "You're welcome, Ryou. He didn't hurt you, did he?"

"Not _yet_," New Ryou muttered. "Don't cry, Yami-chan. It'll be ok."

"You must have a death wish," the New Bakura growled at the spirit, giving the others a funny sense of Deja Vu. "No one messes with my family."

"Funny. I just pretty much said the same thing. Except it was, 'no one messes with my _hikari_' and gets away with it," the ex-tomb robber snarled back defiantly.

"I usually don't like picking on people…but for you, I'll make an exception," the New Bakura snapped.

"Thanks. I'm flattered."

And a fistfight broke loose.

The others watched in a fascinated horror, as the two Bakuras rolled on the floor, fists flying. The spirit didn't get to summon his shadow magic: his opponent kept him too distracted. But he hadn't been a renowned Tomb Robber for nothing, and he began to get a slight advantage over the other. It gradually became apparent that the Other Bakura was losing. He wasn't losing _badly,_ but he was still losing, nevertheless.

"This doesn't look good," the Other Ryou muttered softly, so that only the child in his arms could hear. "He needs help."

"Did you mention 'help'?" a voice spoke up behind him, causing the teen to jump a foot in the air again. He spun around, and found himself face-to-face with Bakura's friend Malik, with his classmates Marik and Joey right behind him, both grinning at Ryou in a reassuring way.

"If I weren't holding Yami, I'd hug you," Ryou moaned, looking close to tears. "_Help him!"_

Malik didn't need to be told twice. Jumping in, he seized a hold of the feisty spirit, and whacked him hard in the head. As Malik had taken martial arts lesson from the age of five, this was saying something. The ex-Tomb Robber gave a light gasp before going limp and dropping unconscious. Malik dropped him unceremoniously unto the floor, and kicked him out of the way before going to stand over his colleague. "Bakura. Fancy meeting you here."

The man groaned, and shut his eyes briefly, before opening them again. He was lying sprawled on the floor. "I'm getting way too old to be fist fighting. Thanks for your help."

"Don't be so morbid, man, you're only twenty," Malik rolled his eyes. "And you're welcome. Couldn't just let him continue pounding the daylights out of you, could I? If you died, I'd have to take care of your charges, too."

"You're ok, right, Bakura?" Other Ryou came up, kneeling beside his cousin nervously. "Not hurt too badly, are you?"

"I'm fine," the man grunted, sitting up. "Don't cry, Yami-chan."

Malik helped his friend to his feet. Aside from a few darkening bruises, Bakura was pretty much fine.

"Hey, is it just me, or am I seeing myself over there?" Marik (the _other_ one) asked suddenly, spotting his duplicate, who was staring right back at him.

"Damn, you're right!" Joey had just spotted Joey.

"What's going on?" Malik looked around. "What is this place?"

"Uh…well this is Domino City…" Yugi spoke up nervously.

"And I'm sorry about Bakura. My Bakura. He's a bit…protective," the original Ryou stammered.

"Ah, no problem," the Other Bakura waved a hand dismissively, relaxed and friendly now that the danger was past. Surprisingly enough, everyone was taking the bizarreness of situation quite well.

"Aibou? What's going on here?"

Yugi jumped when the new voice entered the conversation, and turned to see his yami jogging over to them, staring at the duplicates and the unconscious Bakura on the ground. "What did I miss, exactly?"

"Not much, Pharaoh," Original Marik replied. "Just the appearance of people who look exactly like us, with the same names and everything. And you missed our dear friend Bakura getting beat up."

"I'm sorry for causing trouble," Other Bakura interrupted. "We don't exactly belong here. But now that we're here, we don't know how to get back home."

"Where's your home, exactly?" Original Joey asked.

"Answer my question first. What year is this?" the white-haired man countered.

Yugi looked incredulous, but answered anyway. "This is the year 2005."

Other Joey chocked, and Malik muttered, "I knew it" in a tone that said his worse suspicions had been confirmed.

"So now answer our question. Who are you?" Yami demanded, staring at the child in Other Ryou's arms, who was staring right back. Their eyes, identical in color, were locked.

"My name is Bakura Tokashi. This is my younger cousin, Ryou, and my son Yamakali – who prefers to be called Yami. This here is my colleague Malik Ishtar and his younger brother, Marik. And this is Joey Wheeler, Ryou and Marik's friend from school," the white-haired man explained. "Now, if I may ask, who are you?"

"I'm Yugi Mouto. This is my…my brother, Yami," the short teen quickly decided not to tell these strangers about the Millennium Items yet. "And these are my friends, Ryou Bakura, Joey Wheeler and Marik Ishtar, and that's Bakura Ryou, Ryou's older brother."

"Their names are backwards," Other Marik observed brightly.

"Yeah…our parents thought it'd be…interesting," Original Ryou said nervously.

"Ok, we're going to have to have some way to distinguish you duplicates. Or else, every time someone calls, "Ryou!", there'd be two people answering, "What?"' Yami crossed his arms. "And that'd be very confusing. It already is. And my life is already confusing enough."

"How bout calling this guy Ryu?" Other Marik asked, pointing at his friend. "That's his nickname at school."

"Really? I didn't know that," Other Bakura said, surprised.

"Right then. Ryou and Ryu. How about you?" Yami asked New Marik and New Joey.

"Call me Ishtar," Other Marik replied brightly.

"As if _that _would solve anything! Half the people at school call _me_ Ishtar!" Original Marik snorted.

"Fine. You come up with something, then!" Other Marik growled, all but baring his fangs.

"I got it," Malik interrupted with a small, mischievous grin. "How about calling this kid Riku? His little friends used to call him that."

Other Marik's eyes widened. "Yeah, back when I was _three!_ Absolutely NOT!"

"Riku it is, then." Original Marik stated brightly.

"No – !" but too late, Other Marik shall hence forth be known as Riku.

"OK, now the two Joeys. I don't think we need to worry about Malik, _our _Malik isn't coming back anytime soon," Yugi hid a small shudder at the thought of the sadistic yami, who was presumably – and hopefully – still in the Shadow Realm.

"If I have to suffer, so does he," Riku growled. "Give him something horrible, dammit!"

"Oh, hush, you," Other Bakura snapped. "Just call him…oh…I don't know…Jou, or something!"

"I got it! We'll call the New Joey Jonouchi! How's that?" Yugi suggested.

"Fine," Other Joey – Jonouchi – quickly said, fearing that Riku might come up with something worse.

"And we'll just call this guy Yami Bakura," Yami said, nudging the still out cold spirit with his foot. "So the New Bakura can remain Bakura."

"And no need to worry about the two Yamis…one is Yami-chan and the other is just Yami," Ryu added.

Yugi grinned his trademark grin, somehow managing to be happy even in such a situation that would have rendered any sane person totally in shock until the end of the century. "Sounds perfect! Confusing, yet so perfect! Now come on, you need to tell us what exactly is going on…"

* * *

Confused, yet? It should get better…hopefully! As of now, here is a list of the current characters: 

From the future:

Bakura

Ryu

Yami-chan

Malik

Riku

Jounochi

Everyone from the original show has retained the regular names.

Yami Bakura is spirit of the Ring

Marik is hikari

OK, this chapter took me way too long. Hopefully, the other ones will come quicker. Do you have any idea how hard it is to try and incorporate five sets of duplicates into a chapter and still have it coherent enough to be understood without twisting the brain into a pretzel! It's HARD! Please don't kill me for making you wait (sobs).

Alright, I'm done. Anyway, thank you for all your support. Without the reviewers, this chapter would not be here.


End file.
